ANPI-Zone Taps Byrd to Build Channel

ANPI LLC and Zone Telecom LLC announced Tuesday that former Broadvox executive David Byrd has joined their executive team as chief marketing officer and executive vice president of channel sales.

In his new role, Byrd leads marketing of ANPI-Zone’s services for small and medium businesses, enterprises and carriers. He also is charged with creating the company’s indirect sales channel program, which he expects to launch in early fourth quarter.

Prior to joining ANPI, Byrd spent five years as CMO and executive vice president of sales at Broadvox LLC, where he built the company’s channel partner program and SIP product offering. Previously, he was vice president of channels and alliances for Telcordia, director of eBusiness development with i2 Technologies, and CEO of Planet Hollywood Online. He also has held executive positions with Hewlett-Packard, Sprint and Ericsson. He has a bachelor’s degree in music with a mathematics cognate from Michigan State University.

In his marketing role for ANPI-Zone, Byrd is charged with increasing the visibility of the newly merged company and promoting its boarder combined offer. ANPI and Zone Telecom merged in spring 2011 and operate as wholesale and retail business units of ANZ Communications LLC, a newly formed holding company. Together they provide carrier services to ILECs, CLECs, IXCs and regional wireless carriers as well as IP communications directly to small and medium businesses. They are based in Springfield, Ill., with a NOC located in Frisco, Texas, and administrative offices in Mount Pleasant, Utah, and Cherry Hill, N.J. The company has switching facilities and a multi-ring SONET-based network spanning cities such as Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York City.

Byrd works out of the company’s Frisco-based NOC.

Byrd also is charged with developing the company’s indirect sales channel, which primarily will be focused on SMB customers. He said the new channel program will replace the one that Zone brought to the merger, which includes fewer than 100 agents with about 40 active agents, who he described as “loyal and appreciated.” Byrd’s goals are much higher; he is seeking up to 1,000 agents with 200-400 active sellers.

In addition to the existing services ANPI-Zone offers, agents also will be able to sell the company’s new SIP trunking and MPLS services, which will be launched in fourth quarter, he said.

Byrd said he is still working on the structure, contract and compensation elements of the program, which he hopes to have decided by the end of September. In addition, ANPI-Zone is hiring new channel managers, with a plan to have six to 10 in various regions before or shortly after the partner program launch in fourth quarter.

Byrd said he expects to run the channel program for six to nine months before bringing in a vice president of channel sales in 2013.

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